


flashy lights, painted smiles

by owilde



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Attempted Flirting, Crush at First Sight, F/F, Interviews, Meet-Cute, Pre-Slash, Prompt Fill, Wordcount: 1.000-5.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-11
Updated: 2016-07-11
Packaged: 2018-07-22 23:28:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7457860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/owilde/pseuds/owilde
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clary let out a laugh, her nose scrunching adorably. "So, Izzy– can I call you Izzy?"</p><p><i>You can call me anything</i>. "Of course," she said out loud, hoping she sounded normal enough and not as strangled as she feared she did.</p>
            </blockquote>





	flashy lights, painted smiles

**Author's Note:**

> For the Shadowhunters femslash exhange [livejournal prompt](http://pineapplebooks.livejournal.com/1040.html) : _Clary/Isabelle, you're interviewing me and I think I'm being pretty clear as to how uninterested I am in my male costar_ by **anonymous**
> 
> Un-beta'd, let me know if you spot any mistakes?

"Izzy!"

She halted to a stop in the middle of the hallway, taking a deep breath. _I can deal with this_ , she thought to herself, pressing her eyes shut for a moment. _I can fucking deal with this_. Then she forced a smile on to her face and turned around just in time to see Michael arrive. He held out a steaming cup of coffee towards her with a hopeful smile. "It's caramel mocha?" He offered.

Izzy reminded herself that this, too, came with the job, that he was her co-star and therefore her co-worker, and that they were supposed to get along for at least six more weeks after today.

But _still_.

"I don't know, Michael. Maybe Kate from make-up is looking for a refill? She's been working all day," she tried.

Michael's smile faltered, but he kept the coffee extended halfway between the two of them. "I just thought that since you _rejected_ my offer to go get drinks next Friday after work, I could maybe at least buy you a coffee? Maybe talk about tomorrow's scene?"

Izzy sighed. Michael had kept asking her out, ever since the first day of filming, and it was starting to be irritating. Maybe a couple years ago she would've been interested, but now? She wasn't looking for a 30-something-year-old nice guy with a fancy car, and a large house, and probably a dog or two, one of which was bought together with his ex-girlfriend who ended up leaving a few years ago after causing a scandal. She'd read that on the papers. Izzy didn't want to end up on the headlines, as well.

On the other hand, he _had_ bought her a caramel mocha.

"You know what, Mike, I'm _really_ late for an interview," she started, wondering just how many times you can tell someone to fuck off before they get the idea. "And I'd love to stay and chat, but you know how Alec gets when he's been up all night. Before I dash, though, I will let you know that I didn't 'reject' you, I kindly declined your offers. There's a difference."

She turned around, took a few steps, and then changed her mind and turned around once more to face Michael. "I'll take the coffee, though."

**...**

Izzy sat on the semi uncomfortable chair that was placed in front of a black screen, watching as the people around her prepped the cameras and the lighting and the mics and what have you. She didn't know who'd be interviewing her, or what it was for, exactly, and she wholeheartedly blamed Alec's lack of communication for this. He was working, alternatively, as both her PR and general manager - Izzy wasn't sure how he managed to stay alive and not randomly combust due to the stress.

She hadn't been there for long, the caramel mocha lying forgotten on the floor, when someone yelled "Ready in five!", and a girl walked out from the behind the lights, scribbling away in her notepad.

Izzy blinked once, twice. Then she frowned. That shade of red in her hair couldn't possibly be real, could it? Or those freckles? They looked like tiny stars, really, more than freckles. And that _had_ to be lipstick, _no one_ had lips  _that_ red, it was entirely illegal for anyone to look that good, anyway–

"Hi," the girl said with a blinding smile as she sat down opposite to Izzy, and Isabelle fought down the urge to squeal like a little girl.

"Hey," she breathed out as a reply.

The girl extended her hand to shake Izzy's, their fingers curling around each other's. Izzy swore her heart skipped a beat.

"My name's Clary Fray, pleased to meet you," the girl – _Clary Fray, that's such a pretty name_ – said.

"Hello, Clary," Izzy greeted, the name rolling from her tongue so _smoothly_. "I'm Isabelle Lightwood," she continued, "but, you probably already knew that, so… Never mind."

Clary let out a laugh, her nose scrunching adorably. "So, Izzy– can I call you Izzy?"

 _You can call me anything._  "Of course," she said out loud, hoping she sounded normal enough and not as strangled as she feared she did.

Either Clary didn't care or she didn't notice. She shifted in her own seat, crossing her legs. "I just wanted to go through some things before we start rolling, like, what you're comfortable answering or talking about and things like that. Is that alright?" Clary asked, tapping her pen on.

Izzy leaned closer, grinning. "Certainly," she said.  _Are you not capable of forming sentences anymore?_  a voice drawled in her mind. She promptly ignored it.

"Lovely," Clary said, and Isabelle bit her lip from blurting out  _you are_. "So, first we're gonna talk a bit about your co-star, and what your relationship is like-"

"There is no relationship," Izzy interrupted sharply. Clary looked up from her notebook, brows raised, and Isabelle flushed. "I mean, we're co-workers. But I'm not attracted to him whatsoever," she elaborated.

"'Not attracted to him whatsoever'..." Clary repeated quietly, then shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. "So, um, can we talk about that in the interview, or what's your PR's stand on it?"

Izzy sighed, rolling her eyes. "Alexander has more pressing matters to consider than how I talk about Michael in public." She felt only slightly guilty when Alec's voice rang in her head: ' _Do not, I repeat, do_ not _slam him in public, Izzy, I am_ begging _you.'_   He'd understand, though, surely.

Clary smiled sweetly. "Well, I'll bring it up as it's written down here, and you can take it from there, then. After that-"

Before she could finish the question, a man in thick round glasses emerged from behind the cameras, scratching his head absentmindedly. "We're ready to go from the tech side, you two okay?"

"We're a bit- I mean, yeah, sure," Clary answered, looking slightly defeated. Izzy nodded in agreement when the man looked at her as well, and then he turned around and yelled "And we're rolling in 10, 9…"

As soon as the cameras turned on Clary leaned further away in her chair, and her smile was drastically replaced by a more restrained one.

Izzy wasn't sure she liked this whole ' _professionally distant_ ' thing very much.

"So, I'm here today with Isabelle Lightwood!" Clary started, and Izzy felt the lights turn on her. "You all know her from the 2013 hit movie, _Demons of Our Past_ , and we'll see her return to the role of our beloved Betsy Jackson in the up-coming sequel, _Dreams Never Die_." She glanced down at her notepad, licking her lips.

Isabelle definitely didn't stare.

"So, _Izzy_ ," Clary said and the nickname made Isabelle grin. "You star in this movie with the hot new rising star, Michael Heller. Tell me, what's he like to work with?"

Izzy crafted a smile on to her face, hoping it came across as _I'm enjoying this topic_ rather than  _fuck that guy and all he stands for_. "Well, Clary, it's very hard to describe. I'm going to be honest with you, sometimes I can't believe it's all real when I'm on set with him."

Clary smiled, and Izzy couldn't tell anymore who's smile was the most fake one. She hoped hers still resembled a smile more than a grimace.

"That sounds wonderful," Clary drawled in a voice that sounded like the exact opposite of 'wonderful'. "We're all curious to hear, I'm sure – is he as handsome in real life as he is on screen?"

Isabelle felt her left eye twitch. _Do not slam him, do not slam him, do not slam him–_

"I think we'd all be lucky to have _him_ acting opposite," Clary continued.

_Do not slam him, do not–_

"You know, actually, he's not as great as the media makes him out to be," Izzy declared loudly. She could see Alec throw his hands up in defeat behind the camera. "Like, he's a brilliant actor, don't get me wrong, but he can definitely get on your nerves sometimes."

Clary looked at her for a few seconds, not moving. Then she seemed to come to life, grinning and leaning forward, her eyes twinkling. "'Get on your nerves' how?"

Izzy decided that the worst damage had already been done, really, so she might as well go all the way now. "Well, he's been asking me out _very_ persistently throughout the film's shooting. Which can be nice, if you're interested and want to play hard to get a bit – like with my ex-girlfriend," she threw in a wink for the hell of it, and saw Clary blush, "– but he's just not my type, and so it's become a tad irritating."

Clary didn't even look at her notepad as she moved forward with the interview, the producer violently tugging at his hair next to Alec. "And how _would_ you describe your type then, Izzy?"

Isabelle grinned at her, their eyes locking. "Oh, Clary, it depends, doesn't it? But usually I'm just very drawn in by an intriguing personality. It's as simple as that." She paused, then smirked. "Although I definitely  _do_ have a thing for redheads."

It was worth it to see Clary blush again, her freckles shining.

**...**

"Izzy," Alec called out as he tailed behind her as she walked out of the building. "Izzy, wait for– _Izzy_!"

She stopped, turning around with a coy smile. "What?"

Alec's expression was dark. "Don't play innocent with me, Iz. I told you, don't bad mouth Heller in public. And what do you do? You  _bad mouth him in public_! On live television, on top of it."

Izzy shrugged, sipping her now cold caramel mocha. "It paid out in the end, though."

Alec sighed, closing his eyes. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger. " _Please_ tell me how that paid out, exactly?"

Isabelle smirked, turning the coffee cup around to reveal something written on it with a black marker. "I got her number," she said triumphantly.


End file.
